


Desperate Measures

by Shi_Toyu



Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Iron Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Happy Ending, Jealousy, M/M, Miscommunication, One-Sided Attraction, Prom, sort of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-31
Updated: 2016-05-31
Packaged: 2018-07-11 07:28:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7036222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shi_Toyu/pseuds/Shi_Toyu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt: Nerd Tony and popular/bad boy Bucky AU<br/>Bucky has a crush on Tony. He had since like ever. Prom season is coming up and he knows this is his last chance at being with Tony before the genius leaves for MIT. To bad Tony wanted his advice on how to ask Steve to the prom. I would like a happy end where the two end up together :)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Desperate Measures

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ak_Joker](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ak_Joker/gifts).



> For Ak_Joker! I hope you enjoy!

Bucky glared at Steve as the tiny blond plopped into the seat beside him for their last period of the day.

“I hate you, just so you know. I hate you so much.”

Steve frowned as he got out his notebook and his copy of The Old Man and the Sea.

“Is this about me eating your pudding cup during lunch? Because it’s not my fault you were too busy mooning over Tony to notice I took it and besides, you’re the one always telling me I need to put on weight.”

“What? You ate my pudding cup? I thought that was Sam! I punched him for it, you punk.”

Steve, proving Bucky completely and 100% right, snickered.

“Okay, okay. So it’s not about the pudding cup then. Why exactly do you hate me?”

Bucky slumped down in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest and scowling harder.

“Tony asked me for advice on how to ask you to prom.”

Steve choked on his tongue.

“ _What?_ ”

Bucky glared at him.

“He was very adamant that this was his last year in high school and he didn’t want to let the chance of taking you to prom pass him by. He leaves for MIT this summer. He got accepted for early admission so he’ll be taking several summer courses to get a head start.”

“Oh, jeez, Buck…I’m so sorry.”

Bucky just sunk down further in his seat and delivered a vicious kick to the chair in front of him, staring Justin down when he turned around as if to say something about it. It was well known around campus that Bucky wasn’t afraid to get into a fight and that he’d pretty much always come out on top.

“Kid’s too smart for his own fucking good.”

Steve was getting that look in his eyes that said he was about to start trouble, though.

“We can still work with this, Bucky. Okay…Okay…So he wants to go to prom. We start there and then you’ve got two or three months to make sure you’ve got a solid base before he goes off to MIT. Long distance relationships aren’t easy but I’m sure you two can make it work. Maybe you could drive up there on the weekends. MIT is only, what, four hours away? Five?”

Bucky grunted, Steve’s overbearing optimism only driving him deeper into his sulk.

“Only one problem with that one, Stevie. Tony wants to go to prom with _you_ and not _me._ ”

Steve just waved him off.

“I’ll talk to Pepper. We’ll get it all sorted out.”

.

“So, you see, I really appreciate you asking, Tony. I do. I mean, I’m very flattered, but I already told Sharon that I would go with her.”

Bucky watched from where he was eavesdropping as Tony’s nose wrinkled adorable. He really wanted to kiss it.

“But isn’t she, like, your cousin or something?”

“Well, yes, but we’re going together as friends.”

“So why can’t we go together as not-friends?” God, Tony was looking at Steve through his damnably long lashes, that sad puppy look out in full force. “Why can’t we go as dates?”

“Oh, I, uh, that wouldn’t be very fair to Sharon, though. I’d hate for her to feel like a third wheel the entire night.”

Tony looked distinctly distressed, biting his lower lip and eyes darting around the hallways as if looking for a solution.

“Wh-what about Bucky? Does he have a date yet?”

Bucky winced. Great. Now he was just the fallback. Tony couldn’t have Steve so he’d settle for the best friend. That stung. Steve, however, was nodding right along.

“Not at all.”

Tony lit up.

“Then he can come, too, and then Sharon won’t feel like a third wheel because she’ll have someone else to talk to! He’s your best friend! He’d do anything for you!”

.

“What was I supposed to do, Bucky? Did you _see_ his _face_? I thought he might cry!”

Steve was pacing back and forth in Bucky’s living room while Rebecca perched in the armchair and watched them both with far more amusement than she had any right to.

“That didn’t mean you had to agree to be his date for prom! Wasn’t the whole _point_ of you talking to him to let him down easy so I could ask him?”

“Well, I mean, yeah, but let’s look on the bright side of this! The plan could still work! You’re still technically going with him, right?”

“Steve’s right,” Rebecca broke in before Bucky had the chance to completely lose it. “Think about it, big bro. Steve just has to act all uninterested and distant or whatever all night and you can be all attentive and gentlemanly. Your little crush will be totally hooked!”

Bucky just rolled his eyes.

“And what makes you such an expert on romance, twerp?”

Rebecca sniffed haughtily at him.

“I’m a woman.”

Bucky snorted.

“You’re a little girl.”

“Wait, wait, Buck. She could be onto something. I mean, if Tony sees I’m clearly not interested then he’ll move on. You might not get together at the dance but at least it’ll give you a place to start. It couldn’t hurt, right?”

Bucky was pretty sure the entire world was against him.

.

Natasha plunked herself down beside Bucky with a knowing smile. Her black dress was simple but elegant and Bucky, yet again, mentally complimented Clint on his taste in women.

“You look like you’re having tons of fun over here. Tony giving you trouble?”

Bucky just sank deeper into his sulk, glaring across the event hall at where Tony and Steve, both in suits, were talking animatedly.

“They’re talking about _art._ _Art_ , Natasha! I didn’t even think Tony liked art!”

Natasha took a small sip of her drink.

“He doesn’t.”

“So he did a bunch of research just for Stevie. Great. Now I feel so much better.”

“Don’t be such a sourpuss, Barnes. Just tell him how you feel.”

“Oh, yeah, like that’s going to go over well.”

“You might be surprised.”

.

“You’ve _got_ to be fucking _kidding me!_ ”

Steve and Tony both nearly jumped out of their skin as they whirled around to face Bucky. Tony’s face was flushed. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what’d been going on just moments beforehand. The two were in a secluded part of the little garden area right outside of where the prom was taking place and had been huddled close together on a stone bench. Bucky had never felt so betrayed in his entire life.

“Bucky!” Steve shifted a bit as if to hide Tony behind himself. “What are you doing out here?”

“Looking for you. Didn’t realize you’d be in the middle of a make-out session.”

He knew he sounded angry but, really, who could blame him? Steve balked.

“Make-out? No! Bucky! That’s not-“

“Save it, Steve. I’ve seen what I need to see. Some fucking friend you are. You _know_ how I feel about Tony and you- _Fuck!_ ”

Bucky whirled to kick the trunk of a nearby tree. His hands were balled into fists at his sides as he desperately clung to his anger in an attempt to block out the pain.

“Bucky?”

That was Tony and the wobble in the brunet’s voice caught Bucky’s attention when nothing else could’ve cut through the fog. For the first time, Bucky took a closer look at Tony and realized his eyelashes were clumped together and there were wet tracks running down his cheeks.

“Have you been crying?”

Tony hunched in on himself.

“I-I had a panic attack. I’m sorry. Steve didn’t-We weren’t-“

Bucky was beside him in a heartbeat, settling onto the bench at Tony’s other side.

“Hey, no. I got that now. Sorry I jumped to conclusions. There’s no reason for you to be apologizing. I was the one being an ass.”

Tony still looked miserable though.

“There was just this sound effect in one of the songs and I just…I lost it. God, I knew this was a terrible idea from the start. I should never listen to any of the advice Happy gives me. He watches way too many rom-coms.”

Bucky frowned, rubbing one hand soothingly over Tony’s back.

“You didn’t want to come to prom in the first place?”

The genius just shook his head. Steve sighed.

“Just tell him, Tony.”

Bucky glanced back and forth between them.

“Tell me what?”

Tony just kept right on looking at his fingers until Steve nudged him in the shoulder. Then, “The only reason Steve and I came to prom together was so I could try to make you jealous.”

Bucky gaped at them.

“What?”

Tony made a frustrated kind of noise and gestured wildly at Bucky’s general being.

“Just look at you! You’re all gorgeous and broody and you’ve got that bad boy with a heart of gold vibe going and you’re good with cars and people and I’m just…me. I’m the younger, nerdy kid crushing on one of the most popular guys in school. There’s no way you’d give me the time of day except that you’re _so fucking nice_. So I had to do something!”

“And you knew about this?” Bucky asked Steve incredulously.

Steve, at least, looked properly chagrined.

“To be fair, I thought you’d break down and confess your feelings way sooner.”

Bucky groaned and dropped his head for a moment. When he raised it, he also shoved Steve nearly off the bench.

“Your real date is probably wandering around by herself in there, Steve. Go be a gentleman and entertain Sharon. I’ll deal with you later.”

Steve just grinned and scampered off, leaving Tony and Bucky alone on the bench. Tony was still looking at the ground.

“Hey,” Bucky called to him softly, “just to be clear, I’m not upset. I mean, I am, but only because you could have been _my_ date this entire time instead of us both being idiots.”

Huge, honey-colored eyes finally peaked up at Bucky.

“Really?”

Bucky smiled softly, tipping Tony’s chin up a little bit more.

“Yeah. I’ve been gone over you pretty much since you _got_ to this school.”

Tony colored adorably and Bucky couldn’t resist sweeping in for a kiss, just a light brush of lips against lips. He drew back a little to look Tony in the eye again.

“That okay?”

Instead of an answer, the genius just pressed forward to kiss him again. Bucky smiled into it, his arms wrapping around Tony’s waist to pull him closer. This was definitely more like how he’d imagined his evening going.


End file.
